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Language Development and Communication 
A rich language environment has an essential impact on the rapid
development of a child’s brain, that occurs during the first
years of life. When adults speak with children in a timely, responsive
manner, children understand the construction of speech, learn new
words and become capable conversationalists. It is important that
young children have many opportunities to learn language and practice
communication skills in order to obtain information and express
themselves in a variety of ways and settings.
Children increase their language and communication skills by engaging
in meaningful experiences that require them to effectively express
their ideas and feelings, listen and understand others. Teachers
must plan for the many ways that children communicate both verbally
and non-verbally. Educators must respect and incorporate the rich
diversity of families’ languages and dialects into the educational
environment as children make progress in speaking and understanding
English.
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1. Play
Children engage in play as a means to develop their listening and expressive language skills. |
- Develop and experiment with conversation during daily activities and interactions.
- Represent stories and experiences through play.
- Think and talk about play experiences.
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2. Listening and Understanding
Children develop skills in listening and in understanding language. |
- Listen and understand stories, songs and poems.
- Listen and increasingly understand conversations and questions.
- Follow directions that involve multiple steps.
- Learn to wait and take turns during conversations.
- Demonstrate progress in listening and understanding English while maintaining home language.
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3. Speaking and Communicating
Children will use verbal and non-verbal language to express and communicate information. |
- Communicate needs or thoughts through non-verbal gestures, actions, expressions and words.
- Participate in communication around a topic.
- Use more complex and longer sentences.
- Communicate clearly enough to be understood by unfamiliar listeners.
- Begin a conversation with other children and adults.
- Understand an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.
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